On Monday, April 25, Governor Janet Napolitano (D) vetoed SB 1363. This NRA-backed legislation would have made Arizona the 34th state to allow law-abiding citizens to carry self-defense firearms in restaurants and other establishments that serve alcohol. SB 1363 authorized establishment owners to post notices prohibiting firearms possession and law-abiding citizens carrying a firearm would have been prohibited from consuming alcohol. This legislation was intended to allow law-abiding citizens to defend themselves and their families while dining out and to maintain custody of their firearms so that they are not stolen from unattended vehicles parked outside of licensed establishments.
Also on April 25, the Governor signed HB 2325, a bill reforming Arizona`s concealed weapons law. The new provisions include: reducing the required training for first-time permit applicants from 16 hours to eight hours; reducing the required training for permit renewal applicants from four hours to two hours; eliminating the fingerprint card requirement for permit holders who are applying for a second or subsequent permit renewal; allowing military personnel to carry a concealed weapon pursuant to a permit that expired while on deployment for up to 90 days after returning from service overseas; extending the lifetime of a concealed firearm permit from four years to five years; and requiring class two misdemeanor charge to be dropped against a person who was not carrying a permit at the time of carrying a concealed weapon but who later provided the court with a permit that was valid at the time of the citation.
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